For nearly half a century, liturgy in the Reform movement has
been shaped by the work of Rabbi Chaim Stern. His
poetry
adorned many prayerbooks and his skills at translating
and
editing the poetry of others gave wings to the prayers
of the simple
and the great. Jews today quote passages of his
prayerbooks
almost as freely as we quote Bible or Talmud. His book,
On the
Doorposts, is a staple in Reform Jewish homes. His
translations
of prophets in The Haftarah Commentary of render
them readily
understandable. His book, Day by Day, is a fount
of healing and
meditation. Many use his fine Haggadah, Gates of
Freedom. And
the prayer books he authored and co-authored—Service
of the
Heart, Gates of Prayer, and Gates of Repentance—have
been
the backbone of Reform liturgy in more than 800
congregations.
| Rabbi Stern did not live to see the publication
of his new prayer book. Instead, in a heroic struggle against time, he
devoted the end of his life to putting the final touches on Netivot
Emunah: Paths of Faith, completing his work less than a month before
his death.
The result is a prayer book that is unequaled in the long history of Reform liturgy. There is clarity of thought and clarity of style. Page after page reveals the touch of the master liturgist who was rightly called a “sweet singer of Israel.” The brief devotional thoughts accompanying each of the major prayers enable us to turn our hearts heavenward even as we repeat well-known phrases for the hundredth time. |
The special sections, including prayers for
healing, selected psalms, and selections from Pirke Avot (“The
Teachings of Our Ancestors”), touch us equally whether we read them
together in the synagogue or alone in the privacy of our homes. Paths
of Faith is the masterpiece of liturgy that will serve a new
generation of Reform and liberal Conservative synagogues, a fulfillment of
the promise of a lifetime of creating poetry for the people of Israel.
Published by S.P.I. Books & Rossel Books Order from: |
|
Study Copies of Paths
of Faith are available at a specially reduced price |
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